A distressing incident unfolded when 5-year-old Andrew was reported missing by his parents, 61-year-old Andrew Sr., and 37-year-old mother Joann.
However, as investigators delved into the case, concerns shifted from a search for the child to suspicions surrounding the parents’ behavior as they ceased cooperation.
Eventually, Andrew’s father led authorities to a shallow grave in a nearby field. Tragically, the lifeless body of the young boy was discovered wrapped in plastic, and buried.
Andrew’s parents were immediately taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder in connection with their son’s death. An autopsy revealed that the child had endured repeated blows to the head and had also inhaled his own blood before succumbing to blunt-force trauma.
Andrew’s mother pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, admitting to fatally beating her son, burying his body, and falsely reporting him as missing. Disturbingly, this was not the first instance of abuse inflicted upon the child.
During the sentencing hearing, prosecutors played a recording of a family argument between the mother and the young boy, which occurred just 15 days before his death. In the recording, the boy could be heard expressing a desire for “bad people” to harm his mother, according to Daily Mail.
The mother responded by questioning why he wanted those “bad people” to hurt her, to which Andrew replied, “So I don’t ever see you again.” Tragically, two weeks after this conversation was captured, Andrew died alone in the darkness, with his head bearing the marks of a showerhead that his mother had admittedly used to strike him after subjecting him to freezing water as punishment for soiling himself.
Disturbingly, an emergency room doctor had previously noticed a large bruise on the boy’s hip four months before his death and questioned him about it. Andrew responded, “Maybe mommy didn’t mean to hurt me,” leading the doctor to consider involving forensic interviewers and child abuse pediatricians.
However, when she contacted child services, she was informed that no investigators were available at that time. The doctor testified, expressing her concerns and stating that they did not want Andrew to leave with Joann on that day.
The mother had a history with child protective authorities, as two complaints had been filed against her even before Andrew’s birth. One complaint cited inadequate supervision, while the other raised concerns about “risk of harm and environmental neglect.”
Furthermore, both mother and baby tested positive for opiates when Andrew was born, resulting in the Department of Children and Family Services taking custody of the infant.
This story is being republished in light of recent reports highlighting a surge in child abuse cases in the United States during the pandemic, shedding light on the urgent need to address this critical issue.
